Why Staying Active in Pregnancy is Essential

Keep active during pregnancy if you want to experience an easier birth. Don’t use pregnancy as an excuse to lounge around on the sofa all day long and gorge yourself with food. During pregnancy, there are those who think of themselves of delicate flowers who should not engage in physical activity because they will hurt the baby.

However, this is the wrong viewpoint to take entirely. During your pregnancy is one of the best times to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. This is especially the case if you are interested in hypnobirthing and want to experience a pain free, natural birth without the need for drugs.

Pregnancy is a Normal Part of Life

Plenty of westernized women have complained about employers not giving them enough maternity leave. The running joke is that employers just want them to squat somewhere in the office and give birth during their lunch hour and be back on the job in time for the afternoon conference meeting. However, this scenario really wasn’t far from the truth when it came to pregnancy during ancient times.

In all actuality, this viewpoint still exists in certain parts of the world. Pregnancy and giving birth is just a part of normal life. Women have to continue their same everyday strenuous routines during pregnancy. Thus, they still must squat and work in the fields, tend to chores or walk long distances to care for their families. But instead of harming the baby, this actually gets them better prepared for the birthing process.

Activity During Pregnancy Makes Birthing Easier

Contrary to belief, staying active during pregnancy helps make the birthing process flow much easier. This includes performing various pregnancy exercises and performing your normal everyday activities. Did you know that even the way that you sit, stand and lie down can have an overall impact on the whole process?

Not only can performing simple exercises such as wall squats, leg presses, leg stretches and using an exercise ball reduce the amount of time that is spent in labor, but learning the right way to sit and stand can help alleviate back pain and stress. Incorporate simple pregnancy exercises into your daily routine and get prepared for natural birth by strengthening your muscles, getting more energy and eliminating pregnancy discomforts such as fatigue, leg cramps and bloating.

Use Precaution When Exercising

Although it’s good to exercise during pregnancy, there are a few guidelines that you should follow:

Always speak with your doctor before starting pregnancy exercises.

Exercise, but don’t get out of breath. This reduces oxygen for you and the baby.

Don’t exercise on your back after the fourth month of pregnancy because this can also reduce the amount of oxygen your baby receives.

Don’t strain or overexert yourself.

Drink plenty of water.

Don’t exercise in hot weather.

All in all, don’t stop exercising just because you are pregnant. This is the time to get and stay active so that you can experience an easier birth. Not only can you alleviate many common pregnancy discomforts, but performing pregnancy exercises can increase your chances of experiencing a shorter labor.